New figures reveal crime is on the up in Notts

More cases of sexual abuse, weapon crime and domestic abuse being reported than ever before.

The figures, released today - Thursday, October 19 , by the office of National Statistics are for the year up until June 2017.

Nottinghamshire Police say the rise is down to a review of the processes used to report crime during 2016/2017 which has resulted in an increase in the amount of crimes being recorded, which they say would never have been the case previously.

Nottinghamshire’s Police and Crime Commissioner, Paddy Tipping, said: “Despite an increase in recorded crime, due in the main to the new national recording standards, the number of incidents reported to the police has remained broadly stable indicating that the number of victims has not risen significantly either.

“However, no-one is complacent, we are all aware that there are areas of concern and plans are in place to tackle them. This will require strong partnership working across Nottinghamshire and the City but I’m reassured by the fact that we have always had a strong partnership base. Now, we must continue to work hard to maintain and improve it further.”

The Office for National Statistics said crimes were up from 4.6 million the previous year and violent crimes rose by 19 per cent, with rises in offences including stalking and harassment.

The Crime Survey for England and Wales, based on people’s experiences, suggests there were 10.8 million offences including crimes that were not reported to the police.

Deputy Chief Constable Rachel Barber said: “The most important point is that we are continuing to do the right thing for victims, we want to ensure the public get a service that is right for them. We are identifying victims of crime, and providing the appropriate support and referral to specialist services where needed and dealing with offenders effectively.

”We have put robust processes in place to maintain our ethical compliance in line with the national standard, and as a result we will now be consistently recording crimes at a higher rate than last year. This is no different to any other police force. However, we will still be working as hard as we can with partners to prevent and detect crime, particularly that which caused the most harm to victims in a way which identifies and addresses their vulnerability.

“The increases in recorded sexual offences reflects a national drive and is very much welcomed by the force as victims continue to have confidence in the wider system and we are absolutely committed, despite current resource pressures locally and nationally to confront some very serious previously unreported offences, particularly those committed against children.”